6 Spectacular Knockouts From The Stars Of ONE: ETERNAL GLORY

ONE Championship kicks off 2019 with ONE: ETERNAL GLORY in Jakarta, Indonesia on Saturday, 19 January.

Topped by a ONE Strawweight World Title match-up between reigning champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio and Japanese challenger Yosuke “Tobizaru” Saruta, the thrilling card is packed with some of the promotion’s most exciting stars.

Among them are proven finishers who can end a contest in an instant using their masterful striking skills.

Now, just two weeks away from the action-packed event in Jakarta’s Istora Senayan, we take a look at six of the best knockouts from the athletes who are scheduled to compete on the 15-bout spectacle.

Pacio’s Spin Finds The Chin

Joshua Pacio, the defending World Champion, showcased his all-around improvement to claim the belt in September. However, throughout his six-year mixed martial arts career, his wushu base has always been a major threat.

As a national champion in the Philippines, “The Passion” excelled in the stand-up martial art and brought his expertise to ONE.

In his bout against former boxing champion Roy Doliguez at ONE: LEGENDS OF THE WORLD in November 2017, it was the wushu versatility that gave him a resounding victory over another accomplished striker.

The Team Lakay representative aimed a right low kick at his foe early in the second stanza, but Doliguez stepped back to avoid it. Pacio continued his spin following the missed kick and generated a huge amount of power as he extended his left arm towards the boxer’s chin.

After making the Baguio City man miss the initial shot, Doliguez stepped back in to counter with a right hand of his own — straight into the spinning backfist, which ended the contest instantly.

A Fast And “Ferocious” KO

Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly squared off against Kun Khmer stylist Meas Meul in front of a partisan crowd at ONE: GLOBAL SUPERHEROES in Manila, Philippines in January 2018.

He was expecting a long battle, but instead delivered one of 2018’s quickest, and most spectacular, knockouts.

With just 21 seconds on the clock, the Team Lakay man dispatched his Cambodian rival courtesy of a laser-sighted three-shot combination.

Meul took aim with an inside low kick, but Kelly responded with the heavy artillery. A right hand found the mark first, and then “The Ferocious” turned into a left hook and primed his hips to deliver the bout-ending right kick with thunderous power.

With his opponent reacting to the punches by trying to duck out of the way, Kelly’s knee and shin collided straight into the temple. Meul hit the mat instantly from the impact.

The Filipino will attempt to defeat Christian “The Warrior” Lee in similar highlight-reel fashion in Jakarta.

Boku Punches His Way To The Gold

Kotetsu “No Face” Boku and Zorobabel “Zoro” Moreira were both surging when they met for the inaugural ONE Lightweight World Title at ONE: RISE OF KINGS in October 2012.

Boku had won five of his previous six bouts in the run-up to his promotional debut, while Moreira was on a five-bout win streak that included three straight finishes in The Home Of Martial Arts.

A tough battle ensued, but at the start of the third round, the Japanese athlete made his mark.

Moreira tried to step in with a one-two combination, but “No Face” responded perfectly to the jab. He landed a right hand over the top, which sent his opponent stumbling.

“Zoro” could not regain his footing after being rocked by the initial blow, and Boku swarmed him with powerful punches. The cage was the only thing holding the Brazilian up, and the Japanese competitor sealed the deal with a salvo of heavy shots to win the gold.

Now a featherweight, Boku will meet Bruno Pucci at ONE: ETERNAL GLORY.

Engelen’s Quick Return

This past November, Anthony “The Archangel” Engelen returned to the world’s largest martial arts organization in style.

He faced Meas Meul at ONE: HEART OF THE LION in Singapore, and the Dutch-Indonesian reminded the featherweight division why he is one of the most dangerous knockout artists in the weight class.

The Cambodian striker was eager to get back in the winner’s circle, and he quickly lunged towards Engelen with an overhand right. He dipped to his left to deliver the strike, but the returning competitor timed his retort perfectly.

“The Archangel” threw up a right high kick, which Meul ran straight into. Engelen’s shin landed inch-perfect on the Cambodian Top Team representative’s chin and sent him crashing face-first to the canvas.

His timing and the Cambodian’s forward pressure combined for a huge impact. It was all that was needed to end the contest after just 39 seconds.

Engelen intends to begin the new year with another explosive victory at home in Jakarta. He welcomes Kwon Won Il to the ONE cage for the first time.

Lee Overwhelms Tokudome

Singapore’s Christian “The Warrior” Lee and Japan’s Kazuki Tokudome stepped up to the plate on short notice to compete at ONE: HEART OF THE LION, and they did not disappoint the local fans.

The Evolve athlete delivered one of his most dominant performances to date against a very experienced adversary to begin his climb back towards World Title contention in the featherweight division.

Lee darted in with a solid right hand that hurt Tokudome, and then “The Warrior” pounced on a takedown. He immediately took top position, although his Japanese opponent was already on the way down to the canvas.

The Singaporean mounted Tokudome and threw shots until he got his back. From there, he continued unloading a barrage of hard punches until the referee was forced to intervene and stop the bout.

It kept Lee’s 100 percent finishing rate intact with six knockouts and four submissions, and it gave him the most finishes in his division’s history. He hopes to add to that on 19 January.

Sunoto‘s Fierce Ground And Pound TKO

“The Terminator” Sunoto was determined to begin 2017 on a high note.

At ONE: QUEST FOR POWER in January, he ducked under a big overhand right and took Cambodia’s Chan Heng to the mat in the opening seconds of their bantamweight tilt, which pleased the home crowd in Jakarta.

Eventually freeing his head from his rival’s grip, the Indonesian advanced to the full mount position and worked to land heavy strikes.

Sunoto pummeled away with hammer fists, but Heng survived the initial onslaught by turning away from “The Terminator.” 

Determined to get the finish, the local hero coerced his adversary onto his back, pinned down one of the Cambodian’s arms, and repeatedly drilled him with piston-like right hands to earn a first-round TKO.

The Indonesian hopes to kick off 2019 with another high note. To do that, he will have to beat promotional newcomer Niu Kang Kang.